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And just like that today is officially the first day of the summer holidays in France! It’s the time of year I love most in Paris. The collective frenzy that occupies the city during the months of May & June slowly comes to a halt and things just really start to slow down…

In my neighbourhood many Parisians have already locked up their apartments and headed to the countryside or the south. And everyone I meet from our local fromager to clients at meetings is talking about “Les Vacances”…The summer is a real celebration here, it’s infectious and I have learned to just go with it…..

What I love most about this time of year is slowing down and having the time do to the things I love. On warm summer mornings being able to open up my windows, let the summer breeze blow in, make coffee and have time to work at my own pace. Taking all the time in the world to visit my favourite boutiques; Astier de Villatte, Merci, Buly and to discover a few more I have on my list…

In some ways during these summer weeks Paris feels more like a village than a big city. It’s calm, there are less people, you bump into friends and go for a spontaneous coffee or glass of rosé. I tend to go a little crazy with picnics and buying big bouquets of flowers to fill my new vase…I really hope to finally get round to those window boxes too this time!

And although I dream of having a garden, I guess not having one pushes me to explore more parks in Paris, take breakfast to my local garden and to escape to the French countryside! But the best thing of all is feeling like I have Paris all to myself and to rediscover the magic of this city again….